green guide

Coke goes white to protect polar bears

The company will donate $2 million to WWF as part of the partnership as well as matching as much as $1 million in donations from Canadians.

Photograph by: Handout
, Postmedia News

Cans of Coca-Cola are going from red to white as part of a new multimillion-dollar project promoting awareness about climate change and helping to protect an icon of the Canadian Arctic.

The new design is part of the soft-drink maker's new partnership with WWF, the conservation group also known as the World Wildlife Fund, to create "safe areas" for polar bear habitat in Canada and other Arctic nations.

Nicola Kettlitz, president of Coca-Cola Ltd., said the latest campaign is part of a range of initiatives by the company to reduce the environmental impact of its business on water and the climate.

"We've done this for many years, and it's part of who we are," Kettlitz said in an interview. "We understand that without sustainable communities, we really do not have a business. It cannot just be greenwashing, We need to do it (action to protect the environment) and then maybe say it, but to do it is an important aspect."

The company will donate $2 million to WWF over five years as part of the partnership as well as matching as much as $1 million in donations from the public.

Kettlitz said the company chose to focus on the polar bear in this and previous campaigns since it has been featuring the species in its advertising since 1922 and recognizes that some of the populations are being threatened by a rapidly warming Arctic.

Nearly two-thirds of all polar bears now live in Canada.

Gerald Butts, president and CEO of WWF Canada, said the campaign is also aiming to remind people that there are many ways they can address and respond to impacts of climate change.

"It's really about trying to predict what's going to happen 20 or 25 years from now and trying to get ahead of it so that we're not rushing at the last minute," Butts said

He added that it is important to not only help the iconic wildlife, but also people and communities that have been in the Canadian Arctic for 8,000 years in some cases.

"We really hope that this is one of those issues where regardless of what you think of the causes of climate change, its realities are inescapable and nowhere is that more true than in the Arctic," said Butts, a former adviser to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. "We hope that this can become a catalyst for a much broader discussion."

The full-fledged marketing campaign and program, Arctic Home, will also integrate advertising in newspapers, on television, online at icoke.ca and in packaging and stores to raise awareness about the issue.

Kettlitz declined to say how much the company would spend on the marketing efforts, but explained that Coca-Cola has worked with WWF on related campaigns for several years, using the conservation group's expertise to help green its business by reducing water use and lowering carbon dioxide emissions from its operations to soften its impact on a warming atmosphere.

The company has switched to commercial hybrid trucks to reduce air pollution and is gradually reducing water consumption with annual targets toward a goal of having a "water neutral" production process by 2020.

"For every drop of water we take out of the system, we want to introduce water to the system in the form of clean water," he said, explaining that it is working on one project on the Skeena River in British Columbia to reclaim the water shed.

Butts added that he also believes the campaign would fit with recent elements of the federal government's Arctic strategy and encourages it to do more.

"I know that you don't hear this every day from an environmental group about the Harper government, but we think they've done some really important things in northern Canada on the protective areas side and we see this as perfectly in keeping with where they've been in the past," Butts said.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.